Signal apparatus.



PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. E. DE M. MALAN. SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5, 1906.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

110 851,362. PATENTED APR; 23, 1907.

' B. DB M, MALAN.

SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED D120. 5. 1906.

2 sums-SHEET 2.

. about its axis by UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

ERNEST DE MERIND OL MALAN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SIGNAL. APPARATUS.

Application filed December To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST DE hIERINDOL MALAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Kings Cross, in the county of London, England, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Switch and Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switch and signal apparatus and particularly to such apparatus in which the switches and signals are operated by electric motors. In this class of apparatus it is common to employ a roller having contacts thereon, which contacts are adapted, when the roller is turned about its axis, to be engaged and disengaged with relatively fixed contacts for the purpose of making and breaking circuits in which the said motors are included.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for preventing the closing of circuits through said motors when abnormal conditions exist.

I will describe a preferred embodiment of my invention and then point out the novel features in claims.

I have not deemed it necessary herein to illustrate any special form of switch and signal mechanism since such devices may widely vary; nor have I deemed it necessary to show any circuits since the present invention relates simply to means for preventing the engagement of contacts for closing circuits under certain conditions.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a contact roller and my invention connected therewith. Fig. 2 is an end view showing certain parts in normal position. F'g. 3 is a similar view showing the same parts in the position they occupy under abnormal conditions. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the contact roller and the fixed contacts in two different positions, the one on the right being the normal position and on the left the position occupied by the parts under abnormal conditions.

A indicates a roller having thereon a series of contacts indicated by a. This roller is journalled in suitable bearings BB and it is to be understood that said roller is turned means of suitable connec tions between it and an operating lever as, for instance, a switch lever.

C indicates relatively fixed contacts with which the contacts on the roller are adapted I to be moved into or out of engagement to Specification of Letters Patent.

5,1906. Serial No. 3%,433.

Patented April 23, 1907.

make or break circuits, said contacts C being preferably spring contacts.

Beneath the roller A and extending parallel therewith a shaft D is journalled, to which shaft is connected a series of lateral projections (Z adapted to engage projections c on the contacts C and -force said fixed contacts outwardly so that the contacts on the roller can not engage them, as indicated on the left of Fig. 4.

From one end of the shaft D two arms E and F radiate, said arms being rigidly secured to the shaft. A spring G is secured at one end to the outer end of the arm E and at its other end to a fixed point and said spring tends to pull the outer end of the arm E downwardly and thereby rock the shaft D. H indicates a magnet the armature h of which is connected to the arm t of a bellcrank-lever. The other arm of this lever extends vertically and is provided near its upper end with a shouldered projection 7t and adapted to engage with a shoulder f on the arm F when the parts are in normal position and thereby hold the arm E in its elevated position as shown in Fig. 2, and such conditions will exist when the magnet II is energized and its armature h is attracted. The arm of the bell-cra11k-lever is connected by I a spring L to a fixed point and said spring tends to oppose the attractive force of the magnet H.

The magnet H will be included in the switch circuit and in the event of said circuit being broken as, for instance, by the points being forcibly run through the magnet will be deenergized and the spring L will act upon the bellcrank-lever and thereby disengage the shoulders is and f and permit the spring j G to pull the arm E downwardly and thereby rock the shaft I) and cause the projections d j to force some of the fixed contacts C away from the roller A so that even if the roller can be turned it will have no effect upon the circuits.

As before stated the magnet is included in the switch circuit and consequently when the switch lever is operated to move the switch from one position to another the circuit through the magnet will be broken, and provision must therefore be made to prevent the bell-crank-lever from being moved by the spring L under such conditions. It is well known that in the present system of operating switch and signal levers said lovers have 1 a slight preliminary movement before they begin to aflect the switch or signal and also a 1 ing to operate the lever and this may be done short final movement after the been operated upon. These preliminary and final movements being for the purpose of operating looks. Connection between the switch lever and the roller will be, however, such that the roller will begin to turn directly the lever begins its movement.

To one end of the roller A is secured an arm M having a laterally projecting segmental flange m. To the upper end of the arm Z of the bell-crank-lever a stud n is fixed and projects across the inner face of the flangem. From each end of the flange m other flanges m extend outwardly and radially and terminate in stops m and When the parts are in normal position the roller A can be turned about its axis and the arm M can move downwardly without interference from the stud n and the initial movement of the switch lever will move the roller A and the arm M suificiently to bring the flange m opposite the stud n so that, when in the further move ment of the lever the circuit through the magnet H is broken, the flange m will by its engagement with the stud n prevent the spring L from moving the bell-crank-lever and by the time that the lever is moved sufliciently to operate the switch the circuit through the magnet H will be again closed and the final movement of the switch lever will cause the flange m to again move out of engagement with the stud n. The arm M and the flange m are shown in their two extreme positions of movement in Figs. 2 and 3 and it will be seen that with the parts in the positionindicated in Fig. 2, should the magnet H become deenergized through abnormal conditions, the flange m will not interfere with the move ment of the bellcranklever under the influence of the spring L and under such circumstances the stud it would move along beneath the lower flange m until it engaged the lower stop m and under such conditions it would be impossible for the operator to turn the roller A and the arm M from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3. Also should the circuit through the magnet Hbe broken when the roller A and its arm M ooparts have i by causing the movement of the bell-cranklever to operate a signal. In the present instance I have shown a target or disk 0 car- I ried by an arm opivoted at its other end cupied the positionindicated in Fig. 3 the I stud it would prevent the operator from turning the roller and arm from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2.

When the parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 3 the operator will be unable to move his switch lever and he will at once be made aware of the fact that some accident has 00- cured to the switch mechanism and it will be impossible to operate the switch lever until the parts have been moved by hand from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 2.

Preferably give notice of erator prior to his some means will be provided to abnormal conditions to the opfinding it out by attemptupon a stud p. An ear g is connected to the arm 0 and a similar ear 1* is connected to the upper end of the arm of the bell-crank-lever and these two ears are connected together by a link 8, said link being pivotally connected to each ear. When the parts are in normal position the aim 0 will occupy substantially a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 2 but when the spring L acts upon the bellcrank lever the arm j will through the link connection with the arm 0 move the arm 0 and the disk 0 into vertical position as indicated in Fig. 3 and as these devices will generally speaking be in proximity to the operator the latters attention will be at once attracted by the signal. Obviously other kinds of signals, either visual or audible, may be employed instead of the one illustrated and described.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a roller having contacts thereon and relatively fixed contacts supported in position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journaled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, means normally tending to rock said shaft to cause the projections to engage said fixed contacts and force them away from the roller, and electrically controlled means for opposing the action of said rocking means.

2. The combination with a roller having contacts thereon, and relatively fixed contacts supported in position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journalled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, a spring connected to said shaft and normally tending to .rock it to cause the projections to engage said fixed contacts and force them away from the roller, and electrically controlled means for opposing the action of said spring.

3. The combination with a roller having contacts thereon, and relatively fixed contacts supported in position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journalled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, oppositely extending arms on one end of said shaft, a spring connected to one of said arms and to a fixed point and normally tending to rock said shaft and cause IIS the projections to engage said fixed contacts and force them away from the roller, and an electrically controlled locking lever engaging the other of said arms to oppose the action of the spring.

4. The combination witha roller having contacts thereon, and relatively fixed contacts supported in'position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journalled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, means normally tending to rock said shaft to cause the projections to engage said fixed contacts and force them away from the roller, a pivoted bell-cranklever one arm of which is provided with a locking shoulder to engage a shoulder on said shaft and hold it against movement by said spring, an electro-magnet, an armature for said magnet carried by the other arm of said bell-crank-lever, and a spring connected to said bell-crank-lever and to a fixed point and normally tending to oppose the attractive force of said magnet.

5. The combination with a roller turnable about its axis and having contacts thereon, and relatively fixed contacts supported in position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journaled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, oppositely extending arms on one end of the shaft, a spring connected to one of said arms and tending normally to move it to rock said shaft and move the fixed contacts away from 1 the roller, a locking lever engaging the other of said arms to oppose the action of said spring, an electro magnet for holding the lever in locking position and means carried by the contact lever to prevent said lever from releasing said arm when the magnet is deenergized normally.

6. The combination with a roller having contacts thereon, and relatively fixed contacts supported in position to be engaged by the contacts on the roller, of a shaft journalled parallel to the roller and having lateral projections, a spring connected to said shaft and normally tending to rock it to cause the projections to engage said fixed contacts and force them away from the roller, elee trically controlled means for opposing the action of said spring, a signal and means for moving said signal into indicating position when said from the roller.

ERNEST DE MERINDOL MALAN.

Witnesses:

A. A. BERGIN, F. WV. LEBALL.

fixed contacts are forced away 

